I?m not sure how charging the field around a spinning rotor is any harder on the unit than subjecting it to the enormous voltage swing created by cranking, and then start of the engine...
Having an internally regulated automotive alternator spinning at speed, then switching it on (the field input on this type of alternator just turns on the regulator) results in a large voltage / current spike that the output diodes have to deal with. I have the Delco SI type internal regulator schematic, and the regulator sense circuit control speed is limited by loop filtering / slope integration. The field control does not have filtering. Switching this type of regulator on via the "field" control input will result in full current instantly, followed by a ramp down to the correct output voltage. It simply wasn't designed to be switched on at speed.
Some alternators have output diodes robust enough to deal with this spike and not suffer reliability issues. From personal experience I can tell you that some Delco 10SI units do not. This type of regulator - alternator circuit is designed to start producing current from the first revolution. This results in an intrinsic soft start, as the output at starter rpm is minimal.
The regulator IC can suffer from the field current surge as well (I'm told), though I have not personally experienced this failure mode.
As to the "enormous voltage swing created by cranking", the voltage drops to perhaps 8 volts while cranking, and returns to battery voltage as the engine starts and the starter is disconnected. This doesn't result in any stress to the alternator.
If I was designing a regulator for aircraft use, I would ensure that the regulator circuit could not be switched on in a way that resulted in an initial full field output prior to ramping down to the correct voltage. I'd also specify over rated diodes for the alternator, all for the sake of reliability. One hopes B&C and P.P. have done this.
Some of the latest automotive alternators sense the alternator rpm, keep it off line until a certain rpm is reached (reduces the load on the starter), then soft starts the alternator automatically. There are even schemes where the ECU controls the alternator via a serial bus. Perhaps the Vertical Power team will look into that.
Examples of the latest regulators:
L9911.pdf
IRVR101.pdf